DJ -- sorry you had that bad experience.
I recognize there are important and restrictive rules on eBay, with your ISP, and with varying government entities regarding email marketing. However, just because it is hard to do -- doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Believe me, I know how hard it is to get opt-in permission and meet the rules. We do it all the time.
But the results are worth it.
My point in the prior post is that sellers don't do the hard work. They want eBay to do it and they too readily give-up when the hard-work of finding and keeping customers starts. It is easier to blame eBay.
Focusing on eBay's management is a nice exercise to vent frustration. But it is wasted.
The value of eBay is completely encompassed within the buyers on the site.
Far too many sellers gave up their ownership-rights to buyers when they got into bed with eBay. In my experience, most eBay sellers work their tails off finding product, writing great copy, taking wonderful pictures and offering great customer service after the sale. Then, when a listing is sold, they repeat the same thing with another listing. Sounds like a winning strategy, right? Wrong. Notice the seller NEVER takes ownership of the buyer in the transaction.
Rather the seller focuses on merchandising and shipping leaving it to eBay to bring the buyer to the sale. Do you not see something wrong with this picture?
I know a highly respected seller (tens of thousands of positive feedback) who has complained about a lack of buyers for items he sells on eBay. He complained that he lists items now and gets a significant decrease in selling prices and sell-thru rates. Ok -- all true.
When I asked the seller why didn't he try to sell the item to one of the TENS OF THOUSANDS of existing buyers who already made a past purchase from him -- I got a blank reply.
It was almost as if he had never thought of his own TENS OF THOUSANDS of past customers as his customers. Instead he seemed to feel that by listing on "eBay," they somehow had the obligation to get "a" buyer -- be it a new buyer or an old buyer.
Times have changed. The single greatest asset a seller has is their customer list. There is no intrinsic value in being able to list as many items as you can on eBay. There is no sustainable value in having the lowest cost sourcing, warehousing and shipping operation.
Whoever who owns the customer wins. Period.
Sellers need to adopt that idea rather than complain that eBay management.
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DJ -- sorry you had that bad experience. I recognize there are important and restrictive rules on eBay, with your ISP, and with varying government entities regarding email marketing. However, just because it is hard to do -- doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Believe me, I know how hard it is to get opt-in permission and meet the rules. We do it all the time. But the results are worth it. My point in the prior post is that sellers don't do the hard work. They want eBay to do it and they too readily give-up when the hard-work of finding and keeping customers starts. It is easier to blame eBay.
Focusing on eBay's management is a nice exercise to vent frustration. But it is wasted. The value of eBay is completely encompassed within the buyers on the site. Far too many sellers gave up their ownership-rights to buyers when they got into bed with eBay. In my experience, most eBay sellers work their tails off finding product, writing great copy, taking wonderful pictures and offering great customer service after the sale. Then, when a listing is sold, they repeat the same thing with another listing. Sounds like a winning strategy, right? Wrong. Notice the seller NEVER takes ownership of the buyer in the transaction. Rather the seller focuses on merchandising and shipping leaving it to eBay to bring the buyer to the sale. Do you not see something wrong with this picture? I know a highly respected seller (tens of thousands of positive feedback) who has complained about a lack of buyers for items he sells on eBay. He complained that he lists items now and gets a significant decrease in selling prices and sell-thru rates. Ok -- all true. When I asked the seller why didn't he try to sell the item to one of the TENS OF THOUSANDS of existing buyers who already made a past purchase from him -- I got a blank reply. It was almost as if he had never thought of his own TENS OF THOUSANDS of past customers as his customers. Instead he seemed to feel that by listing on "eBay," they somehow had the obligation to get "a" buyer -- be it a new buyer or an old buyer. Times have changed. The single greatest asset a seller has is their customer list. There is no intrinsic value in being able to list as many items as you can on eBay. There is no sustainable value in having the lowest cost sourcing, warehousing and shipping operation. Whoever who owns the customer wins. Period. Sellers need to adopt that idea rather than complain that eBay management.